"And he spoke good English?"

"Yes, with a foreign accent of some kind."

At this moment an electric bell sounded below.

"There he is!" said Miss Van Tuyn, quickly giving back the card to
Garstin, who dropped it into his pocket. "Do go down quickly and let him
in, or he may think it is all a hoax and go away."

The painter stood looking at her keenly, with his hands in his pockets
and his strong, thin legs rather wide apart.

"Well, at any rate you're damned unconventional!" he said. "At this
moment you even look unconventional. What are your eyes shining about?"

"Dick--do go!"

She laid a hand on his arm. There was a strong grip in her fingers.

"This is a little adventure. And I love an adventure," she said.

"I only hope it ends badly," said Garstin, as he turned towards the
staircase. "He's more patient than you. He hasn't rung twice."

"I believe he's gone away," she said, almost angrily as he disappeared
down the stairs.

She got up. There was a grand piano in the studio at the far end. She